Former 100 Thieves head coach pr0lly makes surprise LCS return

Olivia Richman Published 24/01/2020

Former 100 Thieves head coach Neil “pr0lly” Hammad is joining the LCS Spring Split on the analysts desk.

“After a long off-season I’m ready to announce that I’m joining the LCS analyst desk for Spring. So follow me on Saturday for the inaugural broadcast and let’s boogie!” pr0lly tweeted.

The response to pr0lly’s news was overwhelmingly positive. Shoutcaster Clayton Raines welcomed him to the talent squad with a “hell yeah,” saying it was good to have him. Fans were also excited to see pr0lly behind the camera again. It was especially a relief to those in the League of Legends community who weren’t sure of pr0lly’s future after a very quiet of-fseason.

After two seasons of coaching, 100 Thieves parted ways with the veteran during an offseason that saw the organization entirely rebuild itself. Four League of Legends players were also free agents after the organization’s big switch up.

“100 Thieves has allowed me to explore my options for the 2020 season. They were a great org. Thanks for the everything and all the awesome people over there! See you guys soon,” pr0lly tweeted in November when the news struck.

After fans wished him good luck, they noticed that he went eerily quiet on social media. In fact, pr0lly didn’t tweet at all after sharing his departure from 100 Thieves.

On January 22, pr0lly finally emerged from his off-season hibernation with a cryptic teaser of sorts.

“I looove LA, baby I’m back!” pr0lly tweeted, along with a photo of a burger and fries.

pr0lly transitions to analyst role after years of LoL coaching

It seemed to be a hint that pr0lly was involved in the Los Angeles League of Legends scene once again, but it wasn’t made clear in what capacity it would be. For the time being, fans could only speculate and discuss his unhealthy choice in fast food burgers.

The following day, pr0lly finally announced the news that he’d be joining the analyst desk, which was a big relief to many of his fans.

pr0lly became a popular figure in the League of Legends community long before his two seasons with 100 Thieves. He’s been a League of Legends coach for the past five years, previously acting as head coach for H2K-Gaming in what was then known as the EU LCS, now the LEC. Under pr0lly, the squad qualified for the World Championships in 2015 and 2016.

Before coaching League of Legends, pr0lly was a League player himself. He played for Complexity Gaming in 2014, his final split as a mid laner before turning to coaching.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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